Technical Field
The present disclosure is directed to positioning devices to be used in aligning material to be stitched, marked or cut and, more particularly, to a transparent template that includes two overlapping lines with one or more being translucent and one or more using fluorescent pigment that when overlapped with the translucent lines will combine to create a third color forming an outline or “halo” effect, of enhanced visibility.
Description of the Related Art
Transparent rulers and templates having grid lines formed thereon are known for use in aligning, measuring, and marking material, such as fabric, paper, plastic, and the like. These rulers and templates are also used to guide a tool, such as a razor, knife, or rotary cutter, in cutting the material to desired sizes and shapes or to guide a tool such as a long arm quilting machine to stitch materials.
Most templates and positioning devices use etching or single color opaque markings, such as lines, to aid in aligning underlying material to be stitched, marked or cut. If the lines are etched, they will only be visible to the naked eye when positioned over dark materials, making the positioning of the template less versatile. If the markings are a single color, they will only be visually useful when the template is placed on working material that is of contrasting light or dark colors. This does not allow the user to visually align the material accurately with the markings, resulting in misalignment and unsatisfactory work product. Two contrasting superimposed lines have also been used to form a composite two-color line. This helps in most cases, depending on the colors used on the template and the color of the fabric. In some cases the composite lines can still be difficult to see, such as in low-light conditions.
Previous attempts to solve this problem include:                Superimposing contrasting opaque lines of different widths.        Using a wide transparent line superimposed over an opaque line.        Adding fluorescent pigment to the ink to enhance a wide transparent line.        Creating a window opening in the opaque line to allow the user to see the material.        